Gnome

This cunning race of beings hail from a continent known as Pedalle. They emerged in the great mushroom forests of the lands, living in huts and houses cut from the tremendous stalks of the giant fungi. The Gnomes seemed to adorn the mysticism of the strange lands and grew very fond of them very quickly. But early on they began to question their strengths; even the seemingly mindless and vicous beasts of the forest seemed to easily beast them in combat. In the infancy of their cultural development the Gnomes sought ways to protect themselves from the harsh wilds of Pedalle and quickly delved into the arts of Magic.

Shortly afterwards the Gnomes came across the Trolls and, though at first sight they seemed brutish, vicious and stupid, gained the courage to begin working with them. They needed protection from that which magic and planning cannot stop. The two seemed perfect for each other, what one lacked the other provided.

This peace was short lived and soon members of each group questioned the others motives. Gnomes grew sick of the threats of the angry Trolls and began to enslave them by wiping their minds with magic. The Trolls were enraged and retaliated fast with those that weren't enslaved acting as ruthless killing machines. Due to their physical superiority and larger numbers extinction and defeat were very nearly the way the fighting would go for the Gnomes. This bloody and cruel period of their shared history forever became known as the Mushroom Wars.But none could have predicted the coming cataclysm.

The Great Eruptions ended the fighting entirely as survival of their ways of life was more important. The continent was torn by the ravages of fire and ash. Mountains turned into great chimneys of smoke and brimstone burning the forests and filling the air with a foul smelling and noxious gas. Burning rocks fell onto the inhabitants either incinerating them or turning them to burnt corpses. The two races cut their losses and ran to the seas. Those who did not make it off the shores of Pedalle almost definitely died.

After a sad voyage on the sea the Gnomes found themselves crashing on a rocky corals of Cearundal. Soon they began to wander the disease ridden rainforests of the south; wandering through the thick. dense forests and being bitten by blood-sucking parasites they found their magic prowess to be one of the few things they could use to stave off death. Seeking a place to call home and start a new life they trudged on; often they came face to face with the strange new inhabitants of the forest. Given their playful but tedious behaviour they often found themselves being shunned by the primitive, tribal Humans that seemed at home in the forest. Life was harsher here and they were not use to the seriousness of this new world.

Eventually they found themselves at Tully Town, then a fledling Halfling backwater on the River Tulley. They began to forge a close relationship together, as they had once done with the Trolls. Settling in the swampy river lands, south of Tully, they were reminded them of home. One day they would return to Pedalle, to see what it had become. Aside from the more prickly mages the Halflings supported their new found friends and helped them make a place in this harsh land.

Age: Gnomes, from birth to death, tend to live longer lives than most races on Uthrandir. They usually live to 500 Soli, give or take a century, though those who attune themselves to magic often get a extra 200-250 Soli... if they're lucky. However, in attempting to extend their lifetime, they could also shorten it. Sverely. By blowing themselves up with a spell gone wrong.

Height: By all accounts Gnomes are undoubtedly the smallest and shortest race of all Uthrandir. They most commonly stand at 1 to 2 feet tall, but on a rare, oh so rare occasion, can be near a foot taller. On the almost unfathomably rare occasion that a Gnome reaches above 3 feet tall they are heralded as some sort of saviour or abomination and either praised or executed respectively.

Weight: Despite their shortness Gnomes tend to be a bit chubby and very rounded, but not quite to the extent of being fat, though a few tend to get very large. Some Gnomes get confused and think they're Dwarves or Halflings on rare occasions. This tends to have an odd impact on their stature; Gnomes that think they are Dwarves get very fat, while the reverse happens with Haflings. However, on both of these the Gnomes tend to end up with some sort of madness of one kind of another. Sometimes this is an almost fetishistic love of milk.

Garments: Gnomes often wear altered Human infant clothing, or adolescent Halfling clothing, and dye them to bright colours as to suit their taste. Though a wealthy Gnome can buy specially tailored clothing for themselves. Often they tend to avoid wearing too much clothing as it weighs down on their small frames. For this reason they tend to shy away from heavy materials like wool and leather and choose instead clothes fashioned from silks and cotton.

Appearance: The Gnomes seem to love having some form of facial hair and tend to style them uniquely. They always seem to have rose red cheeks that remind one of a sunny day, and their small beady eyes are more often than not hidden by their bushy eyebrows if not theirhair. Quite frankly their appearance is a bit comical and giggle inducing. But you would do well to not laugh at them as they tend to be very cunning and devious when provoked. You may find yourself entombed within an especially bushy moustache for all eternity if you make fun of a powerful Gnome.